EU Ignores Internal Problems and Donates Millions to the PA

Pic. Credit: Issam Rimawi

Palestinians stressed that PA elements have spent millions on their trips and the travel abroad. President Abbas and his staff reportedly spend over 10 million dollar monthly only for travelling. The PA elements that hold the so-called VIP passports are always travelling with their beautiful secretaries and an army of body-guards, and wherever they go, they stay at five-star hotels and eat at expensive restaurants.

Thousands of slots on the PA payroll are actually people who have never seen the doors of their supposed offices in Palestine, they are simply minions of the regime who live in luxury around the world. The same can be said of hundreds of diplomatic employees personnel in the EU and around the world, where minions and the corrupt as untalented relatives of the well-connected occupy offices far above their abilities and are paid far in excess of any supposedly rendered “services”. Over the years I have met enough Palestinian “employees” who, while receiving monthly salaries because the hold a certain position, I know for certain that they have never seen the embassies where they supposedly work from the inside.

The EU completely ignores the increasing internal problems being faced by a number of EU countries. Among these problems are the never-ending banking and financial crisis next to the increases in unemployment and poverty in the all EU countries, which are becoming more visible and obvious despite the attempts to not publish the true facts about these problems.

The poverty and unemployment in the EU may lead sooner or later to confrontations and chaos similar to the so-called “Spring-uprisings” in the Arab countries. In Cyprus, Spain and Italy, the chaos has already started and is known across the EU despite media censorship and an obvious ban in the news on reporting too much about these issues.

On Monday Sep. 9 2013, the European Union has made available €52 million for development projects in Palestine to support economic and social development and institution-building measures foreseen by the Palestinian National Development Plan for 2011-2013. This funding, announced as Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah is visiting Brussels for talks with EU Foreign Affairs chief Catherine Ashton, will support the private sector in creating new jobs, support the construction of the new Nablus East Water Treatment Plant, finance small capital investment projects in different municipalities, and continue to help deliver community services in East Jerusalem.

This is the final part of EU assistance to the Palestinian people in 2013 from the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI), bringing the total amount contributed from this instrument this year to €300 million.“The ultimate objective of the EU’s financial assistance remains the establishment of a Palestinian state living side by side with Israel in peace and security,” said Ashton. “Today we also discussed the difficult financial situation of the Palestinian Authority and the expectations for the meeting of the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) due to take place at the margins of UN General Assembly in New York.”The High Representative and the Prime Minister also followed up on their discussions held in June during Ashton’s visit to the Middle East. They talked about deepening bilateral relations between the European Union and Palestine. The High Representative confirmed the EU’s support for the Palestinian state-building process and stressed the need for a strong and stable Palestinian government committed to reform and the rule of law. In the talks today, Catherine Ashton also expressed full support of the European Union for the ongoing Middle East peace talks.EU Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, Štefan Füle, said:“We have to look beyond immediate financial help to the Palestinian Authority to provide longer-term sustainable support. We will also continue to support the Palestinian population in East Jerusalem to help ensure their access to services in East Jerusalem.”

The new financial assistance package has the following components:

Governance (€13 million): this funding aims to support governance in Palestine by helping municipalities investing in small infrastructure projects and improving management practices for better service delivery and by strengthening the efficiency of the PEGASE Mechanism (an instrument to channel EU and international assistance as a contribution to the building of the Palestinian State).

Support to the Private Sector (€11 million): in order to promote sustainable, private sector-led social and economic development. The EU and PA recognise that only a dynamic and growing private sector will be able to create the jobs necessary to face the growing Palestinian population and gradually reduce the public wage bill, while generating the revenues required to fund essential public services.

Nablus East Water Treatment Plant (€20 million): By helping to build the new plant, this project will contribute to the protection of water resources in the region and significantly reduce health risks caused by inadequately treated wastewater released in the environment, as well as allowing the re-use of treated wastewater.

Support to the Delivery of Community Services in East Jerusalem (€8 million): for a number of years the EU has provided significant funds to deliver on its commitment to maintaining sustainable development, the dignity and welfare of East Jerusalem communities, in order to consolidate the possibility of reaching a future political agreement of the status of Jerusalem as the future capital of two states.

The actions will focus in particular on improving the living conditions of the Palestinian population living in East Jerusalem, through the protection of rights of vulnerable women and girls and to enhance women’s local employment opportunities.Specific actions will support the development of the private sector in East Jerusalem, seek to improve living conditions of Palestinian families in the Old City as well as improving quality care and patient safety in East Jerusalem hospitals. These investments complement the €13 million of direct financial support provided to the East Jerusalem hospitals adopted earlier this year and channelled through a new window of the PEGASE mechanism which is now open to all donors.

1 comment to EU Ignores Internal Problems and Donates Millions to the PA

When Russia and the United States finish closing the trap on Syria – it will be gone as a sovereign nation. When Syria signed away its rights over their chemical deterrent to the Israeli Nuclear WMD and Israeli Chemical WMD, Syria signed its own death warrant. Then watch North East Africa/Sinai and Iran for the final closing abomination in the region.

It would be best for the Arab nations to provide a sanctuary for the Palestinians now.